The Legend of Karin

Summary: In the waning months of the Galactic War, a battle-hardened clone commander is forced to make a decision that will alter the course of galactic history, inspire hope, and give rise to a legend.

The Stand

Even outside of the
battlefield he dreamt about it; it followed him home, was waiting for him when
his mind grew tired and weak until sleep was necessary. He no longer slept well
and had a constant feeling of anxiety for the day to arrive. He slept
restlessly that entire night until the holo-panel in his barrack awakened him.
It buzzed and flashed urgently and a computer voice spoke “Incoming
transmission from Admiral Yoki.” He rose sharply, yawning and arching his back
to stretch. He deftly entered the proper access code and suddenly, with a flash
of light, the hologram image of the admiral was standing in front of him.

“I’m sorry to wake you
Commander Karin,” he spoke, “Chancellor Ymene demands your presence at the
bridge; he said it is of a matter of extreme importance.”

Commander Karin felt
the pit in his stomach begin to grow “perhaps
he only wants a report of our progress in the Nether-Rim Campaign” he
thought to himself. But his attempt to think otherwise failed. “I will be there
immediately” he replied.

And
with that the admiral saluted him and the hologram disappeared. Still wiping
the sleep from his eyes Commander Karin began to don his armor. It was an
almost iridescent white and was adorned with black and red markings
distinguishing his enlistment with a specific battalion. As he was placing the
armor on one piece at a time, he stared at his helmet which sat across from him;
staring at him as if he were under examination. It was fierce and threatening;
the thin black T-visor, which provided only a reflection of the outside world;
containing a mystery within, peered into him. It too was brandished with black
and red markings. Lastly, the pall, which extended from his neck and completely
covered his left shoulder and the Nishiro skirt, wrapped half-way around his
waist, were meticulously added to complete the armor. These pieces identified
his rank to the soldiers; the brothers he commanded and identified a massive
threat to the enemy.

As he made his way to
the door of his barrack, he glanced once more at his helmet, still sitting,
waiting, and ready for anything. He wondered if those few who had gone AWOL
during the Galactic War had been right all along; that they were expendable
assets; that more were being created everyday and that no matter what, they
would always be treated as such. Commander Karin left his room and began to
make his way to the bridge. As he passed his soldiers; his brothers, he thought
about their purpose in the war. He and his troops were a thousand or so of but
three million who were all the same; grown, not born; trained, not nurtured.
They were clones: each created from the same genetic template, and were
modified to obey every order; altered down to the smallest and most
infinitesimal points, restricting all forms of individual identity and
independence and providing an endless supply of troops. As he continued to walk
down the corridors, Commander Karin felt a sense of pain and sadness followed
shortly by pride, reminding himself once more as many of his brothers had done
over the course of the war, that Deagon-IV was the only home they would ever
have, and they were prepared to die in the wake of its defense.

Commander Karin reached
the bridge as one of the troops shouted “Commander on deck!” immediately, the
entire crew halted their tasks and, in unison, straightened their bodies and
saluted him. “At ease” he spoke. While Commander Karin was walking toward
Admiral Yoki standing next to the holo-panel on the bridge, he stared out into
space; intensely watching the planet the two battle-class cruisers were holding
position in front of. The planet was called Misinia and was a major defense
post of the Galactic Union in the Nether-Rim Territories. It was home to an
early-warning system which alerted the capital planet, Flostis, of enemy
presence and possible invasion. They were given orders by the chancellor to
take two cruisers to Misinia, for an unknown reason, where they were to then await
further instruction.

“Admiral” Karin ordered
“clear the bridge, this transmission is on a need-to-know basis.”

“Yes sir” replied the
admiral “Everyone to the armory, we will begin making landing preparations
immediately!” barked Admiral Yoki.

Once
alone on the bridge, Commander Karin activated a switch that was only to be
used by certain personnel. Entering yet another access-code, the commander
stepped back, immediately a dark, faceless figure rose from the screen below.

“Commander
Karin, I have discovered the Ecrof are planning to over-throw our established
government and seize power for themselves” Chancellor Ymene explained.

Commander
Karin’s heart sunk.

“We
must quell this insurrection immediately; therefore, effective this very
moment, all Ecrof officers are to be considered traitors to the Galactic Union
and killed on sight. I am officially ordering the execution of Directive-881”
he continued. “Set down on Misinia and have your engineers establish a
transmission alerting all Ecrof that Flostis is under-siege by the Confederate
Alliance. There, we shall wipe them out in a single blow as the might of our
forces descends upon them.”

The transmission
ended and Commander Karin stared at the holo-panel with his fists planted on
the periphery of the screen. The day had come; he was to betray the Ecrof under
order of Chancellor Ymene to insure no resistance to his implementation of a
new system of governments; an Empire.

The
Ecrof were a group of “mystics,” that would be the best way to describe them.

They were linked to a special entity
which existed throughout the universe and made them tremendously powerful. With
the outbreak of the Galactic War, the Ecrof were made generals and given
command of hundreds of clone battalions to march into battle. While some of the
Ecrof refused to recognize Karin and his clone brethren as equals, others
formed close attachments to them; some were even given names. According to the
Deagon-IV records, all clones are designated by a serial number. In the case of
Commander Karin, he is designated as CC-1751. The names given to them set them
apart; gave them an individual identity.

Karin’s mind
returned to the question he had been pondering over earlier; were we
expendable? “The Ecrof saw past our
identical features; saw us as individuals with distinct personalities” he
thought “They fought alongside us, losing
brothers just as we had. Many lost their lives trying to save our own.” Karin
felt his heart begin to heavy and wondered how he could even consider killing
them. Were this order given to another clone officer, it would have been
dutifully carried out instantaneously, without thought or hesitation. Commander
Karin, however, was designated a NullClass-Special Forces Commander.

He and a select group of clones were chosen to undergo advanced combat training
on their home-world of Deagon-IV; in other words, those who survived the
process were the best of the best. However, there were “abnormalities” of the NC-SFC
genome…they could think independently and could defy an order if should they
chose provided, of course, the decision was made to benefit the Galactic Union
and prevent harm from coming to it.

This
was but one directive hard-wired into their genetic code; a strict set of
instructions, of responsibilities to
the Union, which preserved their increased ability to consider orders prior to
acting on them without compromising the integrity of the infrastructure of
their genetic engineering. They were exceptionally loyal, yes, but to the
Galactic Union and acted, always, for the preservation and advancement of the
Galactic Union.

An NC-SFC could not willfully disobey the
orders given by an acting general, especially where the well-being of the Union
was concerned, simply out of fear or through some other reason for
non-compliance, for this would undermine their basic engineering. Their
capacity to consider, something which set them apart from the rank-and-file of
the homogenous military might of the Union, was restricted to the benefit of
the Galactic Union and could not, therefore, be used to benefit the individual;
as in the case of personal advancement through the ranks.

He
knew full well that he would be unable to deal with the guilt if he had handed
over the Ecrof to death. Commander Karin shook himself from this daze and
called to Admiral Yoki:

“Admiral!” he
barked.

At once the
admiral returned to his side.

“What are your orders sir?” he
asked.

“Are the troops prepped
and ready for landing?”Commander Karin asked.

“Yes sir. Shall
we begin making our approach?”

“Inform
Captain Iscis on the Serenity to
prepare his battalion and make ready to land in sector 5-1-5” he ordered.

The
commander saluted him and ordered the bridge crew to return to their posts

and begin the necessary landing sequences.
Instantly, an alarm sounded which alerted all troops to form up in the landing
bay and for pilots to prep their ships for troop and artillery transport.
Commander Karin left the bridge and made his way back to his quarters. He
picked up his helmet and gazed into its face; “to think that all this time, we were ultimately created for betrayal
and fear; we were pawns” he thought. He placed the helmet over his face
knowing it would be the last time. He then clipped a belt which holstered two
A5-7 blaster pistols, standard issue side-arm of officers in the army of the
Galactic Union. After checking their ammunition gauges, he disengaged the
safeties and made his way to the landing platform to join his brothers.

By the time Commander Karin reached the
landing platform, Block Battalion was in formation and ready to move. “They truly were impressive” thought
Commander Karin as he surveyed his troops; motionless, faceless, and fearless. Each
shouldered an X1 rifle and carried at least three thermal detonators. The
tanks, Vega transports, and star ships were also prepped and ready; Commander
Karin chuckled quietly to himself at the irony of it all “the chancellor certainly knew what he was doing while he planned all
of this; he couldn’t have picked a better
army for the job” and made his way to the front of the battalion.

The
Revenant and Serenity had already entered the atmosphere and were making their
final approach. They set down in one of the very few clearings on the otherwise
dense and lush forestry of the planet. As soon as the ships were securely
docked, Commander Karin gave the signal to lower the landing platform hatch.

“BLOCK BATTALION!!”
cried Commander Karin

At once the thousand
clones snapped to attention; the clap was deafening.

“MOVE!” he ordered.

In perfect
synchronization the dozens of rows of troops marched; left foot, right foot. The
foot-falls heard were menacing; a machine of war was on the move, ready for
battle. Commander Karin made his way to meet with CC-2035, or Captain Iscis, as
he was also known. Like Commander Karin, his armor as well was adorned with
color separating him from the “common stock” clone. It was a brazen orange
which striped down the sides of this arms and legs and fanned out across his
helmet like the wings of a phoenix.

“It’s nice to see you
again captain; at ease” said Commander Karin with a smile.

Captain Iscis removed
his helmet and spoke plainly:

“Well, since we are
through with the formalities, you mind telling me what the hell were doing down
here? I like to be prepared…”

“We are going to set up
shop in the early warning station. After getting everything in order, I need
you to assemble Frost Battalion, have them rendezvous at the landing site with
Block Battalion; have some news to break to the men, and I doubt they will like
it” said Commander Karin sullenly.

After
the hours spent loading supplies and armaments into the base, Captain Iscis
ordered the troops of Frost Battalion to the landing zone and form up beside
Commander Karin’s troops. Before long, the commander walked to the front of the
soldiers; Captain Iscis stood beside him.

“Brothers,
our chancellor has betrayed us” he began.

Immediately there arose
a frenzy of questions all throughout the lines. Captain Iscis fired a shot from
his A5-7 pistol into the air, demanding silence.

“I have received a direct
order to purge the Union of the Ecrof; those who fought and died beside us in
defense of something greater than any of us could ever imagine” he continued.

“I have no intention of
carrying out this order, and that means that none of you will either”

“How can you ask us to
betray our chancellor?!” cried a voice from the crowd. This was followed shortly by a congregation
in agreement.

“ENOUGH!” commanded
Karin. “I FIGHT FOR THE GALACTIC UNION, NOT ITS LEADERS! I FIGHT FOR ITS IDEALS
AND ITS FREEDOMS! WHAT OUR CHANCELLOR HAS ASKED US TO DO IS TREASONOUS AND I
WILL NOT STAND IDLY BY AND ALLOW IT!” The entire crowd hushed; stunned by the
commander’s words.

“We will stand against
this treachery and fight to ensure our Ecrof generals learn of this dealing.”

Silence.

“WILL YOU NOW, WHEN
NEEDED MOST, STOP AT ONLY WORDS?”

All at once there began
a roar; small, beginning from the rear rank, then growing. He had won the
hearts and loyalty of his men. Though he managed a smile, he knew it would be
the only victory of the day.

The troops began to
mobilize at once, tanks were moved from the Revenant
and Serenity and were placed in
front of the base; along with a few hundred men, they would engage the
defecting clones on the ground. The battle-cruisers were to return to space
with a small crew to man the star ships and serve as the first line of defense.
Just then Captain Iscis approached:

“What is your plan of
action sir?”

“Have our engineers
establish an encrypted signal to all Ecrof within as far a range as possible”
said Commander Karin.

“Yes sir. What of our
defenses?”

“The main objective
will be to keep the signal going as long as possible. The Revenant and Serenity
along with our pilots have received their orders to engage the chancellor’s
forces in space” he explained.

“Stalling them is key
here; if the chancellor wants that signal destroyed he will be forced to land
his troops. It will be far easier to engage them on the ground” said Commander
Karin.

“We
will more than likely lose the two battle-cruisers along with our pilots; that
will cut any supply off from us; not that anyone would be coming to help us
this time” Captain Iscis remarked slyly.

It
had begun to rain, and the air was thick and humid. It matched the atmosphere
perfectly. Commander Karin was surprised to see his troops had come to terms
with what they would soon be doing; they would be standing against their
brothers. They would kill them if necessary, but the action was easier said
than done.

Just
then, Commander Karin heard the whining of an incoming message from his
holo-pad. He held the disc-shaped communicator in hand and activated it, it was
the admiral.

“Our pilots have
finished preparing their ships and we are holding position to meet the
chancellor’s forces” he informed.

“Excellent work
admiral” replied Commander Karin.

There was hesitancy in
his voice.

“Sir, it has been an
honor serving under you” he said at last.

“The honor was mine
admiral.” The two saluted one another and Admiral Yoki’s figure disappeared.

Captain Iscis then
informed Commander Karin the signal had been established and two squads were in
place as a last line of defense. Before Commander Karin could make his way to
the troops stationed on the front lines, the holo-pad whined once more. As he
activated it, the form of Chancellor Ymene appeared:

“KARIN!” he shouted,
“WHY HASN’T THAT SIGNAL BEEN ESTABLISHED?!”

“Sir, effective
immediately, I, Block, and Frost Battalions are no longer under your order.”
And with that, he ended the transmission.

Then, as if on cue, one
of his troops informed him that slip-space ruptures were detected and that
Admiral Yoki and his pilots had engaged the chancellor’s forces. Commander
Karin ordered the trooper to sound the alarm and make certain that everyone was
in place. Again, the pit in his stomach grew; today was the day alright, the
day he put an end to this. He checked his weapons and ran to the front lines to
fight alongside his brothers.

Admiral
Yoki and his pilots did a wonderful job of stalling the chancellor.
Unfortunately, as Commander Karin predicted, the two cruisers were obliterated.
What was left of the chancellor’s fleet began to touch down. The rain gave way
as a mist began to settle in front of Karin’s and Iscis’ forces. They could
hear the foot falls of their brothers approaching, yet saw nothing. The tension
and anxiety was thicker than the mist and infected them all. Once more
Commander Karin’s holo-pad alerted him to an incoming message.

“Commander
Karin” a figure spoke.

“Commander
Ansalis, I’ve been expecting you” replied Karin.

“Lay
down your arms; think of your men!” pleaded the commander.

“I
am” he said and deactivated the holo-pad.

For
a short while there was silence. Still nothing could be seen through the dense
foliage and mist. Then, a hell-fire of blaster shot was hurled toward Commander
Karin’s forces.

“TAKE
COVER!” he shouted ferociously.

“INDEPENDENT, FIRE AT
WILL!” with that order, Block and Frost battalions returned a seemingly endless
volley of fire at their former brothers.

“ARTILLERY! CONCENTRATE
FIRE ON SECTORS 6-9!” he ordered. The deafening sounds of the blaster rifles,
thermal detonators could be heard for miles.

Dozens began to fall on
both sides. Shortly after, the chancellor’s forces deployed star ships for
ground cover. At that, the commander ordered the retreat. More clones continued
to fall as they ran to reinforce what was to be the last line of defense.

Captain Iscis stood at
the ready with his troops and were shortly joined by Commander Karin’s forces
in retreat.

“WE HAVE TO GET INSIDE
OF THE BASE OR THEY WILL OVER-RUN US!” commander Karin shouted; the blasts
getting louder.

“GO INSIDE, I WILL STAY
WITH FROST BATTALION AND HOLD THEM OFF AS LONG AS WE CAN!” he replied.

Commander Karin removed
his helmet, visor cracked, and discarded it to the ground; it could no longer
question or define him. Captain Iscis removed his as well. The two stared at
one another for a short time, never saying a word. The two brothers knew they
would never see one another again. Commander Karin smiled again and said:

With that, Captain
Iscis began to form up his troops and charged into battle; his back would be
the last thing Commander Karin would ever see of him.

Once inside the base
Commander Karin looked around to survey what little troops he had left. “A company at best” he thought. He
ordered the doors sealed; with their backs against a wall the remainder of
Block Battalion stood motionless. Seeing the commander without his helmets
caused his brothers to do the same. They looked around at all of those familiar
and yet so distinct faces one last time. Just then amber light began to cut
through the door.

“We hold them here”
began Commander Karin breathlessly. “WE HOLD THEM HERE! FOR THE UNION!” he
cried as the blast doors were demolished. A hail of blaster rifle shot flew in
all directions.

Taking cover, Commander
Karin fancied one final look at those who stood beside him in the wake of countless
battles. As he watched them, he again returned to the former question:

“Were
we expendable?” “No, we fought for what we believed in, genetically manipulated
or not. Brothers stood beside brothers against evil, nothing would change
that.”

Ahmad Momenai:
it was a great time reading this story,i really enjoyed it but there were many, if not some plot holes that I'm curious how would be filled. plot holes like 'what happened to the baby tree?' 'what happened to the uncle and the godfather?' what happened to the scientists?' .i would love to read a ...

Sara Huppman:
My only pet peeve was that there were spelling errors. In one of the last chapters there was a mistake it said Melanie handed the hanky back to Chrystal. It was supposed to be Jess. Great book great plot. Didn't need some of the references to modern day culture like the line about frozen. If ther...

Jasmine Chow:
As I read this story, I was reminded some what of Terry Pratchett, especially some descriptions of politics and economics. The sci-fic setting is quite intriguing. Writing style is quite lovely and grew on me slowly. I was also slightly reminded of Mark Twain, especially his book A Connecticut Ya...

William Elliott Kern:
John, first congratulations on submitting one of the best written and most creative stories of the civil war period...........This story takes place in the 1860's with an abusive Father against his new horse, later a rough patch with his Daughter Elizabeth. The war of words between the Father an...

William Elliott Kern:
Interesting Story, with Jacob, the second Son of Baron Ironwood to learn his duties, provide his numbers and prepare for marriage to Anna......Along the way, the wise Monk, Francis came to Ironwood, filled the ears of Jacob with hope and positive direction, a gift for Jacob well needed. The Stor...

debmart6901:
I could not put this story down. I stayed up reading when I should have been in bed. could not get enough, could not wait to find how it ended. Great story telling. Great detail. Loved it. The characters were very vivid.

Ding Fernando:
very nice read.so realistic you can hardly put it down,i really like the character so human despite posessing immortality and eternal youth.though i would prefer a better ending..i still love this novel and i am recommending it to all sci fi fans to give it a try .you will love it too!!

Pablo Rojas:
Love the story, at the end it is a western story, simple, yet giving hints and pieces of the situation that is happening all over ravencroft´s universe. easy to read and always keeping with the main stream story I want to keep reading about, Olafson´s adventures.

Jordano Quaglia:
I was taken to the future, to the shock of worlds among the people in the underground versus the mutants. The characters are well defined and rich in details, as I felt that I empathized well with them and envied their adventures while being scared by their predicament. It i a world that I would ...

Other Collections

About Us:

Inkitt is the world’s first reader-powered book publisher, offering an online community for talented authors and book lovers. Write captivating stories, read enchanting novels, and we’ll publish the books you love the most based on crowd wisdom.